Every time I try to cook them I screw it all up. I cooked a New York strip roast around Christmas and it turned out great. I've tried cooking strip steaks two or three times since then and they've been a mess every time.

I let the meat sit out for a bit to get closer to room temperature. ive tried using rubs. ive also tried salt and pepper, and just pepper. ive tried with olive oil. ive tried with butter.

ive tried sticking the skilled into the oven to get it as hot as possible, then cooking for 30 seconds per side on the stove. ive tried heating the oven to 500 degrees and cooking it in the center. ive tried broiling for a few minutes on each side.

nothing i do comes remotely close to even ponderosa quality. its never charred/crunchy on the outside. the entire thing is usually just a gummy mess or is tough and tasteless.

pittsoccer33 wrote:wouldnt cooking in a pan with butter like that fill my kitchen with smoke?

this might be a dumb question, but what kind of pan? like what id make brownies in?

a frying pan.

yeah, the butter may smoke a little. you want to put the steak on right before the smoke starts.

but the butter is just for flavor, anyways. you don't really need it. if you're worried about smoke, skip the butter and use canola oil or one of the fancy oils like safflower or grapeseed. they have a high smoke point so they're less likely to burn.

1) Buy a meat thermometer, and get an oven thermometer to place in oven;2) Pre-heat oven to desired temp of steak (130° F / 54 ° C is medium rare);3) Room temp steak, season aggressively with salt;4) Heat pan as hot as it will get, add a bit of either groundnut (peanut) oil or safflower oil to the pan;5) Add steak, sear for 60 seconds per side, remove from pan;6) Place steak on sheet tray or other device, put in oven, cook for about 90 mins - 2 hrs, check internal temp, remove when desired temp is achieved;7) Refresh sear, with a bit of melted butter and thyme (maybe garlic, too);8) Eat

You can replace the oven with your kitchen sink full of 130° F / 54 ° C water; it will hold that temp for a surprisingly long period of time, perhaps 35-40 minutes depending on the material and the relative size of the steak. Just refresh with hot tap water to maintain the temp. Place seared steak in a Ziploc with some fat (EVOO or butter) and some thyme, lower Ziplock into the water until you get to the level of the zippy bit (this will force all the air out), then seal the bag and drop it into the water bath. If you do this, just remember that each steak you cook gets its own bag, and you'll want to be sure to cool the steaks down to room temp before bagging. With this method, you can pre-cook everything and store in the oxygen-free sealed bag for probably close to a week in the fridge prior to the day you want to eat them, or in the freezer for a couple months. Just temper back to room temp and refresh the sear.

These methods work flawlessly because the cooking medium is the temperature you want for the finished product.... which means, you simply cannot overcook your steak. When I use this method for steak, I actually do a two-rib roast and leave it in a 125° / 52° C oven for 24 hours, then portion it into steaks and sear. I also sear using a propane torch.

A cast iron skillet is a must to get a good crust.I use coarse salt on both sides of the steak.Heat up the skillet as hot as you can without burning down your house. I like my steaks on the rare side so it's usually no more than 3 minutes on each side. Flipping the steak only once is key.

An important part of cast iron cooking is to use lard to condition the pan. It doesn't leave a sticky residue you can get with some cooking sprays.

pittsoccer33 wrote:what about cast iron is better than my family dollar skillet? ill buy one if it will help

Nothing can take or hold on to heat better than cast iron. That means when you spend 20 minutes pre-heating your pan to over 400° F or more you won't lose much if any of that heat energy when you add your room temperature steak to the pan. That means quicker and more thorough searing. And that means more deliciousness.

pittsoccer33 wrote:what about cast iron is better than my family dollar skillet? ill buy one if it will help

Nothing can take or hold on to heat better than cast iron. That means when you spend 20 minutes pre-heating your pan to over 400° F or more you won't lose much if any of that heat energy when you add your room temperature steak to the pan. That means quicker and more thorough searing. And that means more deliciousness.

what's your take on a smoking pan? does it always mean your oil is burnt/ruined? or is a little smoking ok?